Body of missing South Korean sailor recovered in waters off country’s east coast
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SEOUL – South Korea’s navy said on July 13 that it had recovered the body of a sailor in the waters off the east coast, a day after he disappeared near the de facto sea border between the two Koreas.
The authorities launched a large search involving 10 ships and aircraft after the sailor failed to report for duty on the morning of July 12 while the vessel was on patrol near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the neighbours.
“A patrol boat participating in the search operation found the missing sailor at approximately 5.58am on Monday (4.58am Singapore time), about 52km east of Geojin,” the South Korean navy said in a statement.
Seoul had asked North Korea on July 12 to help search for the sailor after fears that the individual might have drifted across the NLL.
“There have been no updates from North Korea,” South Korea’s Unification Ministry told AFP on July 13.
The navy said the body was transferred to another frigate, which was due to arrive later on July 13 at Donghae Naval Base on South Korea’s east coast.
The authorities said the circumstances surrounding the sailor’s disappearance and the cause of death would be jointly investigated by civilian police and military investigators.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on July 12 that the navy had requested “North Korea’s cooperation, on humanitarian grounds, in the search and the individual’s return”.
The sailor holds the rank of seaman apprentice, Yonhap News Agency reported.
President Lee Jae Myung has sought to ease tensions with the nuclear-armed North by pursuing dialogue and confidence-building measures after years of strained relations.
He has adopted a dovish approach to North Korea since taking office in June 2025, in stark contrast to his predecessor’s hawkish policy.
Pyongyang, however, has not responded to Seoul’s repeated overtures and is deepening ties with Moscow. It recently hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit. AFP